01 Work, The Art of War, Richard Jack's First World War, The Taking of Vimy Ridge, Easter Monday 1917, with footnotes

Richard Jack  (1866–1952)

First World War, The Taking of Vimy Ridge, Easter Monday 1917, c. 1919

Oil and oil painting on canvas

height: 364 cm (11.9 ft); width: 591 cm (19.3 ft)

Canadian War Museum 

The battle at Vimy Ridge in April 1917 is Canada's most famous. Richard Jack's depiction focuses on the technology that enabled the assault to succeed. Of Canada's many First World War battles, the successful assault at Vimy Ridge in April 1917 is the most famous. Victory cost more than ten thousand casualties. "Battle Vimy Ridge," Lieutenant H. L. Scott of the Canadian Engineers wrote in his diary, "Heavy return fire. The whole earth seemed to be in the air. When in air, came down to be blown up again. Worst battle in history of war to date. Hundreds blinded, arms and legs off. One man without arms and legs still living." Richard Jack's depiction avoids this tragic cost and concentrates instead on the technology that enabled the assault to succeed.

In this painting, he depicts the crew of an 18-pounder field gun firing at German positions on Vimy Ridge. To the left, wounded soldiers move past the gun towards the rear. More on this painting

Richard Jack RA RI (15 February 1866 – 30 June 1952) was a British painter of portraits, figure subjects, interiors and landscapes, and prominent war artist for Canada.

He studied at York School of Art before winning a national scholarship to the Royal College of Art in 1886. There he won a gold medal and in 1888 a travelling scholarship to the Académie Julian. On his return to London in the early 1890s, he worked for a time on the staff of The Idler and for Cassell's Magazine as a black-and-white artist. He was awarded a silver medal at the 1900 Paris International Exhibition and at the Carnegie International in Pittsburgh in 1914. Jack was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Arts in February 1914 and a full Academician in 1920. In 1916, he accepted a commission in the Canadian Army to paint for the Canadian War Records Office, becoming Canada's first official war artist. 

In the 1920s Jack became fond of Canada, making several visits there with his family. After his daughter met and married the Ottawan businessman Victor Whitehead, Jack and his wife moved to Montreal. Inspired by Canadian scenery, particularly the Rockies, Jack took to landscape paintings, as well as portraits.

More than 40 Richard Jack paintings hang in UK public collections including one of composer Colin McAlpin in the collection of the Leicester Arts and Museums Service.

He died Monday, June 30, 1952. More on Richard Jack

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